‘It's an honor': Miami's own Tom Llamas on taking over a national nightly newscast
Tom Llamas is more than ready for his closeup.
When the Miami native takes over 'NBC Nightly News' Monday evening, he brings 30 years of experience to the anchor desk. Did we mention he's only 45?
A good chunk of that experience came from logging many hours at local TV stations, where he started at the tender age of 15.
First job: Interning for Telemundo 51 in Hialeah.
'I walked in with a blue blazer and they told me to take that off immediately,' Llamas told the Miami Herald while in town in early May for a promo tour. Duties ranged from the mundane, like answering calls on the assignment desk, to the terrifying, like going out to cover crime scenes.
'I saw my first dead body when I was 16,' he stated calmly. 'It was a really serious job for a teenager, but I loved it. It put me on a path to where I am at today.'
About that path, it's pretty stratospheric, and not lost on him. Llamas is just the fourth lead anchor in the last 40 years of 'Nightly News,' and the first Latino. His Cuban immigrant parents — constantly consuming newspapers and TV to know what was happening on the island — get a hat tip for that one.
'I remember waking up in the morning smelling Cuban coffee and my dad reading the Miami Herald cover to cover,' recalled the fellow news junkie. 'My mom was the same way.'
Llamas landed the Telemundo gig soon after a serendipitous career day at Belen Jesuit Prep when local anchor Louis Aguirre, then with Channel 10, returned to his alma mater.
The starstruck freshman told Aguirre he had an interest in current events and writing; Aguirre recommended going into broadcasting.
'Because he took the time out to speak to us, it changed my life,' Llamas said.
Aguirre didn't realize the impact he'd had on Llamas until the fall of 2015 when the two men reconnected at the GOP debate in Simi Valley, California. At the time, Llamas was with 'ABC World News Tonight' and Aguirre with 'The Insider.'
'He came up to me and said, 'You may not know this, but you made such an impression on me,'' Aguirre told the Miami Herald. 'He'd already hit it big in New York, so I thought that was so generous and gracious to tell me that anecdote. It's a testament to what kind of person he is, not to mention a hell of a journalist.'
Now with WLPG Local 10, Aguirre thinks it's a bonus that they're both graduates of Belen's 'hallowed halls.' Founded in 1800s Havana, the all boys school was re-established in Miami in 1961 after Castro (an alumnus) confiscated the property and expelled the Jesuits.
'I'm proud to be an alum,' said Llamas. 'It has such a rich history. It has grown to this incredible institution that is educating young men and has never lost its focus or its roots. It also teaches every student the importance of being Hispanic and why you need to love this country.'
Llamas, who now resides in Westchester County with his wife and three kids, will always have a soft spot for his hometown. When he was born his family was living in Little Havana, then moved for a brief, 'freezing' three-year stint to Flint, Mich., for his father's pediatric dentist residency. They then returned to South Florida and lived in the Coral Gables area.
'It was a great life. Little League... roasting pigs in the backyard, a very typical life in Miami. An amazing experience. You could play sports year round. You could be at the beach year round,' said the avid fisherman. 'I am 305 through and through. It's in my DNA.'
The 305's weather isn't too shabby either: 'Right when February rolls around and there's still snow on the ground in New York and you don't see the sun, I'm going, 'What is going on here? How did I leave!?''
Favorite old-school (and now defunct) hangouts included the Bakery Centre (the site of Shops at Sunset Place); Specs records store; the original CocoWalk; and — going way back to the archives — Whirlyball.
'It was like this concept of bumper cars and wiffle ball and jai alai,' Llamas explained. 'It sounds like a Miami fever dream.'
These days, you'll catch the media superstar with his wife and three kids at iconic spots like Versailles ('a classic'), Pinecrest Bakery ('the best pastelitos'), Joe's Stone Crab (for the colossals) and Faena (their kids love the 'blinged out fossil.')
As for local sports? Llamas is still all about the U, aka the University of Miami's Hurricanes, which won five national championships in the 1980s and '90s.
'Some of my best memories with my dad are going to the Orange Bowl and watching them just dominate,' he said, adding he still catches Marlins and Dolphins games every now and again. 'Those were great teams and great years for a very long time.'
Shortly after graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans, Llamas began cutting his teeth with the NBC family in various behind the scenes roles. His first on-air position was at NBC 6 South Florida, with his folks cheering him on from their living room a few miles away.
'I was really green when I started and made a lot of mistakes, especially when I was live,' Llamas admitted, laughing. 'I called my mom and I'd say, 'How'd I do?' And she'd say, 'You did great.' I knew I was terrible!'
Llamas got better, way better. He went on to win multiple awards, including an Emmy for his report on human smuggling while embedded at sea with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Among the vastly fascinating stories in his highlight reel, some stick out more than others, namely natural disasters. He's covered all the big storms, from Katrina and Irene to Sandy, and lived through Andrew as a kid.
'Hurricanes remind us we're not in control,' he said. 'When you have no power and you have no food and you're just trying to get by, and you're trying to help each other out, it's hard, even in a modern world.'
In 2014, Llamas was hired as a correspondent at 'ABC Nightly News,' where he eventually moved onto the weekend anchor desk filling in for David Muir. A few years in, he went viral when President Donald Trump singled him out during a press conference for questioning donations to veteran groups.
OK, that snippet won't go in the highlight reel, though he did eventually score an exclusive sitdown with the first lady in in Nairobi, Kenya.
Without discussing politics in general, Llamas will allow that the country is divided, a topic he hopes to eventually delve into in the future.
'We're at a time right now ... I mean, people are split up, and that's OK. It's happened throughout history, right? I don't think this is unique, but I do want to remind our viewers that we're all Americans, and there's certain things we can all agree on.'
Since rejoining NBC network in 2021, Llamas has reported across the globe on major breaking news, including the New Orleans terror attack, the war in Ukraine, the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse as well as the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
Lester Holt's reins were handed down in March, while the 66-year-old TV vet pivots his focus to 'Dateline.'
'Tom has the winning combination of journalistic excellence, passionate storytelling and unyielding integrity,' said Janelle Rodriguez, NBC News' executive vice president, in a release at the time.
For Llamas, it's literally a dream come true, but not without challenges.
'It's an honor; there's a lot of pressure, but I do think pressure is a privilege,' he said, adding he'll look to Holt, who is both a friend and mentor, for guidance.
'His brand is the most trusted journalist in America,' he continued. 'I want to make sure once I take that seat the viewers know that I'm working for them. I work for NBC, but I really work for them. It's a public service.'
When that camera goes on at 6:30 p.m. Monday how does one prepare for that full circle moment? What would the kid walking into the newsroom in Hialeah say?
'Everything that brought me here — I'm going to use,' he said, getting emotional. 'You don't get to the top of the mountain by stumbling. There's a reason why you're there. I've worked really hard.'
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